Sir William Davenant

(1606-1668)

Sir William Davenant was the son of an Oxford tavern-keeper and godson (or son, as he later hinted) of William Shakespeare. He was an Oxford Fellow before entering court circles as an associate of the elderly Fulke Greville. Davenant was knighted at the siege of Gloucester (1643) and by Charles II appointed governor of Maryland, a position he was unable to occupy during the Commonwealth. He spent time in exile and in prison, freed, it is thought, at the instigation of Milton. After the theaters were reopened after the Restoration Davenant was manager of Lincoln's Inn Fields.

The tragedy of Albovine, King of the Lombards. 1629.The cruell brother. A tragedy. 1630.The just Italian. 1630.The temple of love: a masque. 1635.The platonick lovers. A tragaecomedy. 1636.The witts. A comedie. 1636.The triumphs of the Prince d'Amour. A masque. 1635.Britannia triumphans: a masque. 1638.Luminalia or the festival of light. 1637.Madagascar, with other poems. 1638.Salmacida spolia. A masque. 1639.To the honourable knights, citizens, etc. 1641.The unfortunate lovers: a tragedy. 1643.London, King Charles his Augusta. 1648.Love and honour. 1649.A discourse upon Gondibert. An heroick poem. 1650.Gondibert: an heroic poem. 1651.The siege of Rhodes. 1656, 1663.The first days entertainment at Rutland House. 1657.The cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru. 1658.The history of Sir Francis Drake. 1659.Panegyrick to his Excellency the Lord Generall Monck. 1659.Prologue to his Majesty at the first play presented. 1660.Poem upon his sacred Majesties return. 1660.Poem to the King's most sacred Majesty. 1663.The rivals: a comedy. 1668.The man's the master: a comedy. 1669.The law against lovers. 1673.Works. 1673.Macbeth, with all the alterations, amendments, additions and new songs. 1674.The seventh and last canto of the third book of Gondibert. 1685.The tempest, or the enchanted island. A comedy. 1690.Dramatic works, ed. J. Maidment and W. H. Logan. 5 vols, 1872-74.Selected poems, ed. Douglas Bush. 1643.Gondibert, ed. David F. Gladish. 1971.Shorter poems, ed. A. M. Gibbs. 1972.